Resident Article: Sharing Space by Sheila Webber

We live in a beautiful neighborhood. Its beauty dates far back before we were all neighbors; back to the shortgrass prairie with all the neighbors that were here before we moved in. We still call many of these first inhabitants of Maple Hill neighbors, and their beauty and charm add to the neighborhood in countless ways. 

A neighbor I would like to highlight in this article is the Barn Swallow. It brings me such joy when these colorful, graceful, cheerfully musical birds return from as far away as Central and South America, where they spread their charm during the winter months. 

We are the lucky recipients of their cheer during summer months. These swallows historically built their mud nests on the sides of caves, but because we moved into their neighborhood, they readily use our structures. The nests are beautiful pieces of architecture, taking the pair 1,000 or more trips to collect the mud pellets used to make this divine place for the cute babies to come.

Not everyone appreciates these graceful birds as close neighbors, however. Let me give some insight into why they may be better neighbors than you think. Birds provide so many “ecosystem services” including keeping insect numbers in check, cycling the nutrients in the environment, helping human mental health (many new studies are out about this), and many others depending on the species. Barn swallows eat many wasps, flies, moths, grasshoppers and other insects. 

Barn Swallows are great neighbors. If you would prefer they don’t nest on your house, consider placing a nest structure on your property. Here is a link with specifications for building and placing them and do so in the fall so it is ready for their return in the spring (https://files.ontario.ca/creatingbarsnestinghabitatenfinal17mar09_0.pdf). If they are already building a nest in a location you don’t approve of, you must leave it there until the chicks have fledged. Removing the nest with eggs or young is a violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. 

Barn Swallow numbers have declined a cumulative 25% between 1966 and 2019. They are still one of our more common birds, but if we do not give them space to carry out their lives, they may no longer be so common.

Photo: © Bawk Bawk / FCC

Photo: © Joseph Webber